1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the construction and physical configuration of personal computers, and more particularly relates to the construction and physical configuration of portable, AC-powerable personal computers commonly referred to in the industry as "lunchbox" computers.
2. Description of Related Art
From an overall size and weight standpoint, portable AC-powerable personal computers occupy a niche between the larger desktop computer, designed to remain in a predetermined work space area and typically having separate processor/drive, monitor and keyboard components, and the much smaller, highly portable "notebook" computer having a combined processor/drive/keyboard structure to which a display monitor section is pivoted for tilt-up use.
In its conventional construction, an AC portable "lunchbox" computer has a main housing structure (typically provided with a top-mounted carrying handle) having a bottom side which may be rested on a table or desk surface while the computer is being used. Both the processing system and the disc drive system portions of the computer are disposed in this housing. A separate display screen housing structure is pivotally connected to the main housing, over a front side portion thereof, and a keyboard unit is removably secured to the main housing over the front side of the display screen housing.
To convert the computer from its storage and transport orientation, the keyboard unit (operatively connected to the balance of the computer by a coiled power cord) is unlatched and removed from the front side of the main housing and placed on the desk or table in front of the balance of the computer. The display screen housing is then swung upwardly and somewhat forwardly relative to the main housing to a use position in which the screen structure may be forwardly or rearwardly tilted to accommodate the computer user's viewing angle preference.
When the particular computing task is completed, the screen housing is tilted back to an upright position and then swung downwardly and inwardly back to its storage and transport position against the front side of the main housing. The keyboard unit is then re-latched to the main housing, over the front side of the screen housing, thereby returning the portable computer to its storage and transport orientation.
Despite the widespread acceptance and use of this conventional AC portable computer construction and configuration, such construction and configuration are subject to a variety of well-known problems, limitations and disadvantages. For example, the hinge mechanism used to pivotally connect the display screen housing to the main housing of the computer is of a relatively complicated articulated construction utilizing a variety of springs and cam wheels and requiring a clutch mechanism to frictionally hold the screen in its user-selected tilt orientation. This complexity, of course, undesirably increases the overall weight and fabrication cost of the computer.
The articulated hinge connection of the display screen housing to the main housing, which causes the screen housing to be moved apart from the main housing during computer use, requires the use of a flexible cable to electrically connect these two operating components of the computer. This cable, by necessity, extends between the facing sides of the two housings, and must be carefully designed and positioned to avoid being pinched between the housings when the swung-out display screen housing is moved back to its storage orientation closely against the main housing.
A cooling fan disposed within the main housing is used to cool the computer operating components therein and is also able to provide cooling to the display screen housing when it is in its inwardly pivoted storage orientation. However, when the display screen housing is swung upwardly and outwardly to its use orientation, the fan is no longer able to provide cooling to the display screen housing which then must rely on a markedly less effective natural convective cooling flow from the surrounding ambient air.
The use in this conventional portable computer configuration of separable main and display screen housings also results in housing wall redundancy since each of the two separate housings must completely enclose the computer operating components disposed therein. This, of course, undesirably adds further overall weight to the finished portable computer.
Another disadvantage of this conventional portable computer construction is that the placement in the main housing of both the processing and disc drive system portions of the computer typically completely fills the main housing, thereby leaving no room therein for expansion bays within which additional operating cards may be placed. To provide this expansion bay space typically provided in modern personal computers, it has heretofore been necessary to attach an optional auxiliary housing to the back side of the main housing. This third housing adds considerable weight to the portable computer and undesirably increases its front-to-rear depth, thus also undesirably increasing the horizontal "footprint" area which it occupies on a support surface such as a table or a desk.
It can be readily seen from the foregoing that it would be desirable to provide an AC-powerable portable computer which eliminates or at least substantially minimizes the above-mentioned problems, limitations and disadvantages heretofore associated with AC-powerable portable computers of the conventional construction generally described above. It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide such a computer.